A new level of eye care for Diabetic Retinopathy.

Diabetic Retinopathy is damage to the blood vessels in the retina (the lining in the back of the eye that holds all the cells that we see with). Diabetes causes the blood vessels to weaken and they can leak blood, water, and/or cholesterol. New, abnormal, weak blood vessels can grow in the eye and are at risk to hemorrhage.

What Are The Symptoms?

In the early stages, there are no symptoms

As the disease advances, progressive vision loss can occur

National Institutes of Health (NIH) educational video on Diabetic Retinopathy.

How Can We Help?

The best treatment is prevention. Our eye doctors at Wyomissing Optometric Center help your primary care physician (and endocrinologist) manage your diabetes. Diabetes affects the small blood vessels of the eyes, it can also affect the small blood vessels of the heart and kidneys. Eye examinations are non-invasive ways to monitor these small blood vessels. Yearly dilated eye examinations are necessary, especially in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, to identify the disease process. We communicate our findings with your doctor(s), so that they can better manage your diabetes. Controlling your blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, exercising, and eating healthy are important in preventing and reversing the early signs of Diabetic Retinopathy. More frequent dilated eye examinations would be recommended if we observe advancing Diabetic Retinopathy. Our role is to diagnose diabetic retinopathy requiring medical or surgical intervention at it’s earliest stage. Our eye doctors are highly skilled at managing our patients who have diabetic retinopathy.